The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was the first Federation starship to bear the name. Launched in the early 23rd century, the Enterprise was one of the original constitution-class ships launched by Starfleet to explore strange new worlds. The constitution-class was one of the earlier ship designs which became the model for many future ship classes. The constitution-class featured the primary hull saucer section, which connected to a secondary hull via a neck-like structure. Up from the secondary hull came the two warp engines housed on pylons. The constitution-class Enterprise was home to a few hundred officers and crew. The USS Enterprise was Captained by at least three different men: Robert April, Christopher Pike, and James T. Kirk. Kirk's 5-year mission on the Enterprise was the most popular in the ship's history. Following Kirk's command, the ship went into drydock for over a year while the ship was refitted and reconstructed with the newest technology, resulting in a completely new Enterprise inside and out. Captain Will Decker was scheduled to become the ship's next captain, but Kirk stepped in to take the Enterprise on a dangerous mission to encounter V'ger. The Enterprise eventually was turned over to Spock to train cadets and new Starfleet officers, but again Kirk took command when Kirk's nemesis Khan became a threat to the Genesis project and the Enterprise crew. The Enterprise NCC-1701 was lost at the Genesis planet when Kirk set the auto-destruct sequence to prevent the ship from falling into the hands of Klingons.